Kiczorka (Cyl Hali Śmietanowej)

Kiczorka (in guidebooks and on maps Cyl Hali Śmietanowej) is a 1298 m summit in the western part of the Polica Range, west of Polica itself. In Jerzy Kondracki's classic division the range belongs to the Żywiec Beskids, in the newer 2018 division to the Żywiec-Orava Beskids. The summit carries the boundary between Zawoja (Sucha County) and Zubrzyca Górna (Nowy Targ County) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Kiczorka is a junction summit: two side ridges branch off the main ridge here, one north to the lower Kiczorka (1012 m) and one west to Mosorna (formerly Mosorny Groń). In addition, the main ridge changes direction on the summit from east–west to north–south and, seen from Polica, turns south towards the summit of Pólko.

How to get there / trails

• The red Main Beskid Trail (GSB) on the section Krowiarki Pass – Polica – PTTK hut on Hala Krupowa: about 1 h 30 min from Krowiarki (1 h 15 min down), 30 min from Polica, about 1 h from the hut (45 min back).
• The yellow trail Zawoja Podryzowane – Mosorna – Cyl Hali Śmietanowej: about 2 h 15 min from Zawoja (1 h 45 min down), 45 min from Mosorna.

Also running near the summit are the green trail Zawoja Centrum – Kucałowa Pass – Sidzina and the blue trail from Zawoja Mosorne to that green trail. The themed route «Cardinal Karol Wojtyła's Last Hike» from Skawica to the Krowiarki Pass also passes by. Right next to the summit, on the former Hala Śmietanowa meadow, stands a hikers' shelter.

The view from the top

Close to the summit, at a viewpoint, stands a distinctive rock formation called the «Stork's Nest». Once there were wide views from here over the northern slopes of Babia Góra and the Jałowiec range, but today the forest limits them. Kiczorka itself, together with Polica, is well seen from the surroundings, for example from the slope of Kępa.

Nature and history

The second part of the old name comes from the Hala Śmietanowa meadow that once lay on the upper part of the mountain. Grazing here ceased long ago because it did not pay, and the meadow was afforested. The name «Cyl» was probably transferred from Mała Babia Góra, which was also once called Cyl. Old maps also show the summit as Pięć Kopców («Five Mounds») or Kopiste, names probably derived from the Austrian boundary mounds marking the border with Hungary. The name Kiczorka was introduced only recently, after the lower summit of the same name (1012 m) on the northern side ridge.

Along the trail on the Polica ridge between Kiczorka and Polica you can still find toppled boundary posts set up by the Germans during the Second World War, when the border between the Third Reich and the Slovak State ran here. Scattered patches of dwarf mountain pine grow in places.

Safety, season and rules

The Main Beskid Trail here is a straightforward forest path open all year round, but in winter the snow on the ridge is deep and the weather in the Babia Góra area changes quickly. In open places wind and fog can make navigation difficult, so follow the waymarks. In the Beskids help comes from GOPR: 985 or +48 601 100 300, or the general emergency number 112.

Photos: ŁukaszWu, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jiffnet, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jerzy Opioła, CC BY-SA 4.0; Jiffnet, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons.